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Euthanasia

Euthanasia


Overview

Euthanasia is the deliberate killing of a terminally ill, chronically ill or disabled person; it is usually carried out with the assistance of a doctor, nurse or other person. Euthanasia is also known as mercy killing and physician assisted suicide.

Every person has the right to refuse extraordinary and burdensome treatments and therapies which would unnecessarily prolong their life by preventing their passing from a natural death, but food, water, patient care and pain relief medication are all ordinary aspects of normal patient treatment and they must be provided to every person.

Every patient has the right to receive proper care, medication, food and water as part of their normal treatment.


What’s wrong with euthanasia?

Euthanasia prematurely and deliberately ends the life of an innocent human being; therefore it is either an act of homicide or an act of suicide.

Euthanasia has been legal in the Netherlands for several decades now, and alarmingly many patients are killed by doctors even though they made no request for euthanasia. Palliative care standards also seriously lag behind those in other parts of the world and most doctors, without any form of penalty, don’t even follow the mandatory legal requirements of euthanasia laws in the Netherlands.

Legal euthanasia creates a serious imbalance in the doctor/patient relationship and it creates a system that literally gives the power of life and death to governments, medical insurers and hospitals.


What about a person’s right to die?

Euthanasia has nothing to do with a person’s right to be allowed to die a natural death. Instead euthanasia is about the right to kill patients, or to assist them as they kill themselves.

Suffering is never a comfortable or easy thing to go through, but killing a patient or encouraging them to kill themselves is not merciful; instead it is a barbaric return to the dark ages.

True dignity in death involves caring medical staff and proper pain relief; it has nothing to do with killing patients or helping them to commit suicide.

Current pain relief therapies allow doctors to successfully treat the patient pain of 99% of all medical conditions. There is no need for a patient to feel that they have to kill themselves, or be killed, in order to escape from pain.

It is during our moments of suffering that some of our most powerful and lasting human development occurs. The final moments of a person’s life are some of the most important and sacred for the dying person and for their family. Euthanasia robs a patient and their family of this vitally important part of the human experience.


Recommended Reading:

 Why legalised euthanasia is not good for individuals or society
This Family Life International article gives 16 excellent reasons why euthanasia is not good for society. It also contains details of research which seriously challenges the validity of legalized euthanasia

Patient Protection Plan
A legally binding document for people who wish to provide medical staff with clear and concise instructions about medical care and treatment in case they are unable to speak for themselves.


Catholic Church Teaching:

Declaration on Euthanasia
The Catholic teaching document on euthanasia, and euthanasia related issues.
Issued by the Catholic Church’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 5 May 1980

The Gospel of Life (Evangelium vitae)
The Catholic Papal Encyclical on abortion, euthanasia and other threats to human life.
Issued by Pope John Paul II in March 1995